9 people killed in bus crash in central Spain

MADRID (AP) — A bus swerved off the road and crashed in central Spain on Monday, killing nine people and injuring 21 others. Officials said the driver was arrested on a charge of reckless driving.

The accident occurred close to the town of Tornadizos, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of Madrid, when the local bus went off the road as it was coming down a mountain pass.

Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said the bus driver passed a drug and alcohol test, and the bus was fit for the road. However, the driver was arrested and was due to appear before a judge later in the day, accused of reckless driving resulting in death, Diaz said.

He said officials were trying to work out the bus’s speed at the time of the crash. No problems were detected with the road surface, he said.

Authorities did not identify the dead and injured, who were all passengers.